Words of Wisdom: Inspiring Words For Aspiring Writers

Writing is one of our oldest, most dynamic and inspiring professions, an art form capable of bringing to life people, places and the world they exist within, through the use of a limited number of simple markings on a page. The fundamental concept of story writing really hasn’t changed all that much, in the sense that people do it with the intention of creating something based on either fact, fiction or both. The style and methods we use, however, are in a constant state of change, evolving in a way which reflects the very mindset of the society at any given time. What people consider to be a good read changes almost as quickly as fashion cell phone trends. Once day, it’s all about the vampire/human/werewolf love triangle, and the next day you have to be following the fight over the iron throne. The problem is that there is always a new book coming out, and as much as we would like to read them all, there are just not enough hours in a day, days in a week, weeks in a month… well, you get the picture. We basically have to pick and choose what we figure would be worth putting the time in to read, and cross our fingers that we won’t be disappointed.

Going back to the changes in writing styles, what I find to be the most impressive aspect of modern writing is how talented authors have become at creating the kinds of characters that we can’t help but fall head over heels for, to the point where we feel their pains and happiness as our own. That is not an easy thing to do, because you not only have to create a character people would find interesting, but who is also believable in the sense that the things they do and say are realistic, and not like the cheesy overacting you find in soap operas.

It’s a great skill, but that’s not all modern authors are good at. They’re also good at creating characters who may seem like they’ll be around until the end of the series, but then they go ahead and kill them off in a way which breaks our hearts and rips open our tear ducts. I would provide some examples, but I would hate to give away any spoilers. I’m sure that anyone who has seen or read Game of Thrones understands what I’m getting at. Those are the kinds of stories where even if a seemingly insignificant character gets killed off, the impact it has on our emotions is surprisingly powerful.

Before I go on rambling for too long, here is the quote which inspired these thoughts of mine. It’s a quote by the infamous horror writer Stephen King, whose ability to continuously pour stories out on paper no matter how many books he has already written will never cease to astound me.

“I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose.”

I must confess, I have read very little of the works by King, but I am familiar with his style based on the movie renditions of some of his more famous work. He is definitely one of those authors who can create some of the most memorable characters, and even though some people may not be too happy about it, he won’t hesitate to kill them off, or turn them into something that turned your love for the character into hate and anger. The mark of a good writer is being able to manipulate our emotions; knowing in which direction to take the story in order to evoke a specific thought in the readers mind.

In light of this weeks quote, here is my question for all of you lovely booknerds:

Question: Which author do you feel is the best at this style of story writing?

Leave yourthoughts in the comments below, or on my blogsfacebookpage, and until next time, happy reading!